Kaarina Huhtinen

The aim of this thesis is to explain how Finland and Denmark have implemented the EC directive of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Requirements of EIA in Denmark are a
part of the Planning Act. In Finland EIA requirements are implemented through separate EIA legislation. The Danish EIA process is more openly political: final decisions of projects are made by politicians. Besides, decisions can be appealed to The National Protection Board of Appeal which has members from all political parties. In Finland the environmental permit decisions are made by the competent authority and decisions are appealed to the Administrative Courts. Decision-making procedures differ in these two countries. In Denmark, the final alternative of a project is chosen already in the EIA process, whereas in Finland the project can alter after EIA process before the permit decision. In the Finnish EIA procedure the developer is responsible for preparing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), but in Denmark the responsible actor is the regional authority. Yet, in practice, it´s often the developer who prepares the EIS. What the law requires and how things are in practice differ more in Denmark than in Finland.

In this study EIA is examined from the perspective of Planning theories. Communicativeness is one of the core elements of EIA. Still, in both countries examined, filling the minimum requirements of EIA legislation doesn´t guarantee communicative planning. However, single cases can be communicative. At first there was no need and also no eagerness either to concentrate on the communicative side of EIA process in Denmark. Denmark has developed further participation and communicativeness in the field of urban planning. EIA has changed the participation practices of planning in Finland.

Attempts to avoid EIA are a problem in both countries. It means that the public suffers form inadequate information of projects and the combined effects of projects are not evaluated. Important decisions are made before the EIA-phase. There's much pressure on the strategic environmental impact assessment of plans and programmes. There's a reform coming for animal husbandry projects, because they are the most typical EIA projects in Denmark. EIA in Finland could also be developed through examining different types of projects. The objectives of EIA and strategic environmental assessment in different sectors should be clarified.